Hydra Missing by Andrei Lanes

New York City native Andrei "Lanes" Terskikh has a gift for techno-pop compositions using shades of trance, ambient and electronica. His soundscapes tap into the human psyche drawing sonic schemes that form instrumental pieces capable of depicting human sagas. There is a surreal quality in these pieces, a sci-fi mysticism that besieges the listener into its cooling aura. The synergy of sound waves, fluctuating frequencies and jewels of laser slicing effects come together at a variety of levels on Lanes sophomore album Hydra Missing, Fear The Worst, the follow up to his debut disc Smoke & Mirrors from 2005.

Written, performed, arranged and produced by Andrei Lanes, the 13 tracks on the disc are imbued with futuristic textures derived from sonic manipulation and digital contrasts. The album is chamber music with a progressive edge, a New Age tilt and an avant-garde vibe. Displaying World Music influences concurrent with works by Philip Glass, the Symbion Project, Freeze Pop, Rob Byrd and Enigma, Lanes’ works are steep in compressed sounds, bouncing notes and lances of fibrillating sequences. But what distinguishes Andrei among the populated pontoons of techno-pop artists is his instinctive style for arranging sonic impulses into surrealistic mirages. Such pieces as "Jade Blue Afterglow" and "Colors In Motion" spool digital sounds and sonic effects into a revolving wheel of chimes flailing, piercing, coruscating and colliding into each other. The sonic equations on "In Spirals" causes the emerging divisions to undergo a metamorphous, gushing into large swells and then, like a supernova, exploding into dispersing splinters.

The music does not overwhelm the listener, but draws them into its trance. The futuristic ambience of "Aleera" and "Soft Light" procure an oxygen bar style atmosphere. The vibe is relaxing and stimulates the imagination into a euphoric state of mind. Aurally, the music is pleasing and calm without ever becoming boring. As much as the digital impulses, sci-fi tones and robotic structures on "Access Granted" and "Hello Stranger" are repetitive, they are also uniquely applied so they don’t sound like the same song. "Area 51" exhibits a Mission Impossible style thematic score through the sonic schemes, while the darkly sinister hues in the tones on "Amalgama" create a mysterious chimera in the mood making it prime for background music in a movie depicting scenes filled with cunning behavior and cavort operations. The slight tension also gives this number a tinge of eroticism and sex appeal.

The laser-like chimes which slash across "Space In Time" are mildly modulated as the scribble of soundwaves intermingle at light decibels. The final track "Hydra Missing" exudes of dancing notes brightly pitched and exhilaratingly playful. Andrei causes contrasts in the pitch and direction of the digital sounds as well as the depth of their frequencies. He shows a scientific approach to his compositions that is initiated from the human psyche. The parcels of digitron sounds materialize magnetically like molecular structures attaching to each other, and then separating instinctually. The music notes resonate with agility as they slice and coast across the melodic floor boards. The compositions have an intensity and complexity that emotes a light show of vibrations hewn from human thought processes. They are instrumentals in digital form, and yet invoked from human impulses.

Andrei Lanes is still going strong currently working on his third album, which will be entitled Fractal Collapse due out in 2007. As there are an infinite amount of mathematical equations that exist, so too is Andrei’s imagination. The only predictable aspect about his music is that it is always aurally intriguing.